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Graphic Novel Review 188/365: Prez Vol. 1: Corndog-In-Chief

Please keep up with all of my old Graphic Novel Reviews here as I quest for 365 in 365 days! Or search #GN365 on Twitter.

You might have noticed that I have not reviewed a lot of DC Comics here on the 365 quest. DC has never really been my thing. I mean, I dig Batman, but that’s about where my DC reading road ends. But that’s all about to change because until Sunday (that’s today!), it’s a DC title a day! Get ready! If you do not have much exposure to DC titles, join the club and follow along as I dive right in…eleven days in a row.

DC Day Eleven:

Title: Prez Vol. 1: Corndog-In-Chief

Author(s): Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, and Mark Morales

Publisher: DC Comics (2016)

Age Rating: 13+

Well, here we are: last day of DC Comics eleven reviews in a row. I’m sad to leave DC for a while, but it must be done. We’ve had some ups and downs, but I’m happy to say that we will be leaving on an UP because Prez is a kick-ass book!

I’ll start by calling out the elephant in the room; this is a book about a strong teenage girl that becomes President of the United States created by all dudes. And it’s not from 1996. This book originally hit stands in 2015. I know things are getting better, but seriously, DC, seriously…

Now that that’s been said, this creative team does a fantastic job. Set in the near future, Prez is able to play with politics in ways that call out current policies that have gone too far and satirize everything from welfare, social media, war-mongering, and health care.

Teen Beth Ross becomes President after an incident at her fast food job goes viral, giving her the moniker “Corndog Girl,” and her new celebrity takes her further into popularity than the other two guys running for President. She ultimately wins, and her lack of corporate connection and her disconnection to decades of corrupt politics makes sure that she is not in anyone’s pocket. However, the old boys’ club is not impressed and still does all that it can to maintain corporate favor.

The art is well-done. Nothing out of the ordinary. The slight futuristic depictions are a nice touch but nothing too crazy to take us away from the strong messages contained in the book.

Speaking of that, I think this could be a cool book to get teens interested in politics. I know that even in this crazy climate, many teens still have no idea what is going on in the world, but President Ross could be a good catalyst for discussion and action!

Almost three years old, this comic still holds many of the ideas that we dissect on the daily. And something tells me that the relevance of this text isn’t going away anytime soon.

I was happy to spend eleven days of DC with you, but I’m excited to get back to some random titles this coming week. I have some good ones selected, so stay tuned!